Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 5687

Previous Number Next Number Next Translation See Latin 

5687. 'And said' means perception. This is clear from the meaning of 'saying' in the historical narratives of the Word as perception, often dealt with already. The reason 'saying' means perceiving is that in heaven, quite differently from what happens in the world, the actual thoughts that give rise to an utterance are perceived. And this is the reason why perceiving in the spiritual sense is 'speaking' or 'saying' in the literal sense, or what amounts to the same, the natural sense.


This page is part of the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church